Time to take the sting out of bee restrictions

U-T San Diego Editorial Board

County supervisors on Wednesday will consider a common-sense proposal by Supervisor Dianne Jacob to make the county’s backcountry more friendly to beekeepers. Supervisors will consider modifying restrictions that require beekeepers to maintain their hives at least 600 feet from any neighboring dwelling and 100 feet from any public access road. These restrictions were initially imposed in the 1990s, coinciding with escalating concerns about Africanized “killer bees.”

Jacob’s proposal is in the same spirit as other recent actions supervisors have taken to promote boutique wineries, breweries and cheese making.

Jacob says honey bees play a vital role in the county’s $5.1 billion agriculture industry. Studies show the world’s bee population is declining. Meanwhile, the killer bee scare turned out has become nothing more than a manageable nuisance.

The city of San Diego last year enacted its own ordinance to allow hobbyists with one or two hives to come within 20 feet of the property line or 15 feet of a public road.

The county should do something similar for backyard beekeepers as well as small commercial operators, given the larger properties in the unincorporated areas. Let’s take the sting out of ordinances that impose unnecessary restrictions on people simply trying to make a living.